Africa-Press – South-Africa. Andile Lungisa, Sihle Zikalala and Malusi Gigaba, previously embroiled in political controversies, have topped the ANC national executive committee nominations list.
On Thursday, the ANC’s electoral committee led by Kgalema Motlanthe announced the 200 members nominated for the party’s 90-member committee.
The ANC NEC is the party’s highest decision-making structure between conferences, and those who sit in it get to shape the party’s political direction.
Former ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala topped the nomination list with 1 447 nominations.
Zikalala lost out on his second attempt at leading the ANC in KZN earlier this year.
He subsequently resigned as premier and was appointed as an MEC. His inclusion at the top of the list comes amid questions about his move from the province to the national echelons of the ANC.
Gigaba, tainted in the controversy surrounding the Zondo Commission report and his close ties to the Gupta family, received the second highest nominations.
The former home affairs minister received 1366.
Gigaba was touted as a possible ANC leadership candidate during the ANC’s nomination season, but he did not make the threshold required.
His second nod on the NEC list speaks to his continued popularity in the ANC.
His popularity remains, despite the state capture allegations that he was active in assisting the Gupta family when he served as a government minister.
Also on the ANC NEC nomination list is former ANC Youth League leader Lungisa, whose status as an ANC Eastern Cape provincial executive committee (PEC) member remains in question.
The former Nelson Mandela Bay councillor received 1 013 nominations.
Lungisa has faced numerous controversies in the ANC, including his short prison stint for assault in 2020. He led a failed bid to be elected as provincial treasurer in the Eastern Cape in May.
Lungisa holds radical political views.
Former deputy minister for higher education Mduduzi Manana, who faced political backlash when he was captured on camera hitting a woman, received the third highest nominations at 1 268.
Manana has remained an active member of the ANC, holding a key role as an ANC NEC deployee to the party’s provincial conferences this year.
Other names who have made the ANC top 10 list include David Masondo, Fikile Mbalula, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Ronald Lamola, former Gauteng premier David Makhura and Thoko Didiza.
Other controversial people on the list include former ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini, who was found guilty of perjury.
Dlamini received 856 nominations, but it’s unclear whether her nomination will be allowed to stand because of her perjury conviction.
Motlanthe said the vetting process for those who did not qualify to contest ahead of the December conference was ongoing.
Low appetite for nominating women
Motlanthe said one of the critical trend noticed during the nomination process was that ANC members had no appetite for nominating women candidates.
The ANC nomination list comprises 100 men and 100 women.
“If it is very clear that very few males in the ANC see it as their duty and responsibility to nominate capable females for positions in leadership. Equally, it is very clear that women, as supervised by the ANC Women’s League, are also not nominating women for positions of leadership.
“It is a problem that the ANC should attend to in its totality. The rules tried to direct them, even about the top six. We said in the rules that members should try and give effect to the 50/50 gender in their top six nominations. But clearly, that message has not been taken home yet. That is a trend we can see at this point,” Motlanthe said.
According to the ANC election rules, those vying for leadership positions were expected to supply financial records related to their campaigns.
Motlanthe said some leaders had done so, but several others had yet to submit records two weeks before the national conference.
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